Sometimes, you will want to change the MAC address on your network adapter. MAC address (Media Access Control address) is a unique identification tool used to identify your computer on a network. By changing it, you can diagnose network problems or just have fun with a silly name. See Step 1 below to learn how to change the MAC address on your network adapter in Windows.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Device Manager
Step 1. Open Device Manager
You can access Device Manager from Control Panel. Its location is in the System and Security section if you use Category View.
Step 2. Go to the Network Adapters section
In your Device Manager, you will see a list of all the hardware devices installed on your computer. This hardware is grouped by category. Go to the Network Adapters section to see all your installed network adapters.
If you're not sure which adapter you're using, see Step 1 at the beginning of this article for a description of your device
Step 3. Right click on your adapter
Select Properties on the menu to open the network adapter in the Properties window.
Step 4. Click the Advanced tab
Look for the Network Address or Locally Administered Address entry. Highlight this section and you will see the Value column on the right. Click the radio button or selection button to activate the Value field.
Not all adapters can be changed this way. If you can't find one of these entries, you'll have to use another method in this article
Step 5. Enter your new MAC address
MAC addresses have a 12-digit value and must be entered without any dashes or colons. For example, if you want to create a MAC address "2A:1B:4C:3D:6E:5F", you must enter "2A1B4C3D6E5F".
Step 6. Restart your computer for the changes to take effect
You can also disable and re-enable your adapter in Windows to make the changes more effective without restarting. Just sliding the Wi-Fi On/Off switch like the one on the ThinkPad and VaiO, won't disable or re-enable the card properly.
Step 7. Check if the changes have been applied
After you restart your computer, open Command Prompt and enter
ipconfig /all
and write down the Physical Address of your adapter. Listed there is your new MAC address.
Method 2 of 2: Registry Editor
Step 1. Find the identity information of your network adapter
To make it easy to identify your network adapter in the Windows Registry, you should gather some basic information about it via the Command Prompt. You can open Command Prompt by typing "cmd" in the Run box (Windows key + R).
-
Type
ipconfig /all
- and press Enter. Write down the Description and Physical Address of the active network device. Ignore inactive devices (Media Disconnected).
-
Type
net config rdr
- and press Enter. Note the GUID that appears between the "{}" brackets next to the Physical Address you noted earlier.
Step 2. Open Registry Editor
You can launch the Registry Editor by opening the Run dialog box (Windows key + R) and typing "regedit". This command will open the Registry Editor which will allow you to change your network card settings.
Making improper registry changes can cause your system to fail
Step 3. Look for the registry key
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E972-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}. Open it by clicking on the arrow.
Step 4. Find your adapter
There will be several folders labeled "0000", "0001", etc. Open each of these folders and compare the DriverDesc column with the Description you noted in the first step. To be sure, check the NetCfgInstanceID column and match it with the GUID in the first step.
Step 5. Right-click on the folder that matches your device
For example, if the "0001" folder matches your device, right-click on the folder. Choose New → String Value. Name the new value Network Address.
Step 6. Double-click the new Network Address entry
In the Value data field, enter your new MAC address. MAC addresses have a 12-digit value and must be entered without dashes or colons. For example, if you want to create a MAC address "2A:1B:4C:3D:6E:5F", you must enter "2A1B4C3D6E5F".
Step 7. Make sure that the MAC address has the correct format
Some adapters (especially Wi-Fi cards) cannot accept MAC address changes if the first eight numbers of the second half are not 2, 6, A, E or start with zero. This requirement has been substantiated since Windows XP and is formatted as:
- D2XXXXXXXXXX
- D6XXXXXXXXXX
- DAXXXXXXXXXX
- DEXXXXXXXXXX
Step 8. Restart your computer for the changes to take effect
You can also disable and re-enable your adapter in Windows to make the changes more effective without restarting. Just sliding the Wi-Fi On/Off switch like the one on the ThinkPad and VaiO, won't disable or re-enable the card properly.
Step 9. Check if the changes have been applied
After you restart your computer, open Command Prompt and enter
ipconfig /all
and write down the Physical Address of your adapter. Listed there is your new MAC address.
